Making Faith Tangible
Jesus calls us to care for people who are marginalized, to stand firmly for love, to confront systems of injustice, and to be followers, not just believers. That means we need to not only care for people’s needs, but also interrupting the systems that make people needy in the first place. If we are called to love the world in tangible ways, how do we do that effectively?
Informed by historical examples, lived experience, and Biblical stories, David LaMotte makes the case that movements, rather than heroes, drive large-scale change, in spite of the dominant cultural message that it is extraordinary individuals that have real impact. With gentle humor and space for the fact that different lives teach different lessons, and we all have more to learn, David invites us to consider what it looks like to bring our beliefs a little closer in alignment with our daily choices, and what the practical steps in that process might look like.
Faith traditions are arguably among the most powerful movements in history, for good and for ill. In a time when many people feel powerless in the face of large historical tides, David reminds us that the pervasive “hero narrative” is not an accurate representation of how things change for the better. It has always been movements that make change. That means that those of us who want to have a positive impact may want to shift our thinking from “what can I do?” to “what can we do?” and “where are the people who care about what I care about?” All of us can bring our gifts to movement work beyond and within our churches, caring for others and correcting systems of inequality.
As a son, grandson and brother of Presbyterian ministers, David started wrestling with faith and service early in his life. These days, he is a member of a Quaker Meeting. When asked about his faith tradition, he says he is a “Quaker-terian.” He frequently leads events in many different denominational contexts, and interfaith settings. He is one of the three members of the interfaith group, Abraham Jam, which consists of David LaMotte, Billy Jonas, and Dawud Wharnsby, each of a different Abrahamic faith. One of Abraham Jam’s songs, Braided Prayer, was recently used in the opening scene of Our Town on Broadway, sending its message of interfaith harmony to a whole new audience. He has spoken and led events in over a thousand churches around the US and internationally.
An Immersive Weekend of Worship and Community
If you think David’s leadership and engagement would benefit your faith community, either through a concert, a lecture, a workshop, or some other kind of engagement, please get in touch to discuss possibilities.
Sample Weekend Schedule
Saturday Morning: David leads a 1-3 hour workshop, often followed by lunch, or a two-part workshop with lunch in the break.
Saturday Evening: David performs a concert.
Sunday Morning: David offers a sermon, or music during worship.
This schedule is entirely flexible, and is intended to provide a starting place for planning. Please get in touch to speak with someone about booking David, or to inquire about how a visit from David might work for your church
Study Guides and Supplemental Resources
Some churches choose to read David’s book, You Are Changing the World Whether You Like It Or Not, prior to or after his visit. To help in that study, there is a 6-part study guide for churches available here.
The Presbyterian Church (USA) has created a family resource to go along with David’s most recent TEDx Talk, Why Heroes Don’t Change the World. Here is a link to the PC(USA) family resource, and here is a link to his most-recent TEDx Talk.
One of David’s projects, Let’s Be Neighbors, encourages community across lines of difference. Churches across the country have resonated with the Let’s Be Neighbors movement, displaying signs or banners on their lawns, on their church buildings.
David’s hymn, God of the Movements and Martyrs has also been used by many faith communities. If you’d like to incorporate that into your church’s worship, you can learn more here.